In 2009 the Tampa Bay Buccaneers put in a bid in the supplemental draft for defensive end Jeremy Jarmon. The Washington Redskins outbid the Bucs and other teams and Jarmon went to D.C. This year the Buccaneers could look to find a backup signal caller and developmental quarterback in the supplemental draft with Ohio State’s Terrelle Pryor.

Pryor is entering the supplemental draft after leaving Ohio State and a five game suspension that would have started the 2011 college football season. Pryor was at the center of a controversy and investigation into players receiving gifts and cash that violated NCAA rules. Pryor was alleged to have sold and traded game worn memorabilia. The infractions cost coach Jim Tressel his job as he resigned earlier this year.  

Last year Pryor completed 65 percent of his passes for 2,772 yards with 27 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Pryor also ran for 754 yards with an average of 5.6 yards per carry and four touchdowns. In his career he ran for 2,164 yards and 17 touchdowns while averaging 5.0 yards per carry. In his collegiate career he threw for 6,177 yards with 57 touchdowns, 26 interceptions and completed 61 percent of his passes.


Pryor has prototype size at 6-foot-5, 230-pounds. He has a strong arm and is a very good runner with the ball in his hands. At the NFL level Pryor will need to work on his accuracy and his pocket passing. Pryor will also have to be developed in understanding an NFL offense and reading an NFL defense. The mental and physical development that is needed for Pryor causes many in the league to believe that he grades out to be a mid-round or late-round pick, especially with the concerns about Pryor’s off the field decision making.

The Buccaneers are doing their due diligence and going through Pryor’s tape to access if they are willing to submit a bid on Pryor in the supplemental draft. Pewter Report believes that it would be unlikely that Tampa Bay would surrender anything more than a fifth-round pick. Their fourth-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles when the Bucs moved up in the fourth round to get tight end Luke Stocker.

Tampa Bay could look at Pryor as a developmental project behind starter Josh Freeman. After this season the Bucs are likely to lose backup quarterback Josh Johnson in free agency. His contract will be up and he wants the opportunity to compete to be a starter. The NFL lockout took away just about any chance the Bucs had at trading Johnson for a draft pick.

With Freeman in place as the franchise quarterback, the Buccaneers would like to develop some young backup signal callers that they can trade for draft picks in the future. They also like to use the backup quarterback in the wildcat to cause another wrinkle in the offense for defenses to guard against.

Adding Pryor would allow the Buccaneers to continue to use their wildcat portion of the offense with the backup quarterback. Pryor has a dual-threat skill set like Johnson. The Bucs drafted Johnson in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft, so Tampa Bay could possibly use a fifth-rounder for another developmental signal caller. Coming from San Diego, Johnson was a project as well.

There are a lot of similarities between Pryor and Johnson athletically. The Bucs could be getting another Johnson if they select Pryor in the supplemental draft.